House Republicans are launching a parallel strategy to avert the fiscal cliff, seeking to pass a bill that would hike tax rates on income over $1 million, while extending rates on the rest of Americans.

Unveiled by Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) at a closed party meeting Tuesday, the legislation has already been declared dead on arrival by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and the White House, who argue it’s still weighted too heavily in favor of the wealthy. House Democrats would not help Boehner cull together the 218 votes he needs to get the bill passed, the No. 2 House Democrat, Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer, said.

The vote, expected to happen this week, is designed to provide cover for House Republicans if the nation goes off the fiscal cliff and income tax rates jump on everyone. If President Barack Obama keeps accusing Republicans of only looking out for the wealthiest, the backup plan allows them to respond it’s not true.

Though talks between Obama and Boehner the last several days have yielded clear progress, there’s a long way to go. It remains to be seen whether the GOP fallback plan will jump-start negotiations again.

Boehner informed Obama about his Plan B in a phone call Monday night. That prompted Obama to tell Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) that talks between the White House and Boehner were stalled. White House aides Rob Nabors and Gene Sperling came to Capitol Hill Tuesday to address both the Senate and House Democratic caucuses.

In 13 days, taxes go up on everyone. Shortly after, tens of billions of dollars in spending cuts for the Pentagon and other federal agencies kick in. That Boehner is putting his own bill on the floor shows that his talks with Obama have reached at least a temporary impasse.

As of Monday evening, the two sides seemed to be inching toward an agreement. Boehner moved off his insistence that tax rates not rise on the wealthy and offered the president $1 trillion in fresh revenue — unthinkable concessions a year ago.

This is a sensible way forward. Obama and his team campaigned on taxing millionaires and billionaires. Now he will get it. I never understood how someone making 250K in New York with related city and state taxes could be viewed as a millionaire. Even Schumer and Pelosi supported a $1 million threshold. The person is doing fine but not part of the targeted group - the rich

with do consideration with cuts in defense and changes in policy as it relates to foriegn aid. might have a chance . also need to cut subsidies to any company with significant profits- hey lets means test subsidies like we plan to do with entitlements. now thats the ticket

This is a sensible way forward. Obama and his team campaigned on taxing millionaires and billionaires. Now he will get it. I never understood how someone making 250K in New York with related city and state taxes could be viewed as a millionaire. Even Schumer and Pelosi supported a $1 million threshold. The person is doing fine but not part of the targeted group - the rich

with do consideration with cuts in defense and changes in policy as it relates to foriegn aid. might have a chance . also need to cut subsidies to any company with significant profits- hey lets means test subsidies like we plan to do with entitlements. now thats the ticket

This IDIOT doesn't seem to get it. Its not MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY!! What part of that don't he get? The american PUBLIC wants the taxes to go up on 250,000 PERIOD! This is what President Obama ran on, this is what the american people want and that is what the american people expect. Every single POLL out now says 60% plus WANT TAXES TO GO UP ON FOLKS MAKING 250,000 and until he and this dumb arse teabag congress gets that thru their head, THERE IS NO DEAL!! He thinks he can bulldoze his way into making President obama bow down to his demands. DO NOT DO IT PRESIDENT OBAMA If we go over the cliff and folks lose trillions of dollars of the 401K plan again, folks start losing jobs again and we go into another recession because of GOP IDEOLOGY the americna people, the business community, the international community will BLAME THE REPUBLICANS and they will pay a huge price for being intransagient and unreasonable.

Cuts FIRSTUS Will Obama be moving to Belgium to escape taxes? Will Obama create a LOOPHOLE to fund his library tzx free? Congress has a habit of exempting themselves and Obama is from Chicago - one day the media will figure that out

We do not have a 'Revenue' problem...We have a Spending problem, and a 'Debt' problem as a direct result of the Spending problem. Obama's 'Plan' results in trillion dollar defecits for ever and never solves anything...Neither does the Republican non-solution of caving on spending. We need Real solutions, not more posturing.

Here is the reality; The proposed plans do nothing to solve the real problem, the Spending problem, and until that Spending is controlled, all the taxes in the world will not make a difference. Lets start with a Budget. Because of Harry Reid and the Progressives we have not seen one for four years, and it is the annual Budget negotiations where proper planning and analysis happen...It is that process that in the past has forced fiscal reality on the Washington class who irresponsibly choose to give away money we do not have rather than dealing honestly with the Citizens and the problem. We must live withing our means.

I have to wonder if Obama knows that 400,000 is neither a million nor a billion.His Marxist Manifesto does not put a number on "wealthy". It does, however, require that Obama "raise taxes on them". Hello phase 1 of communism.

If Obama is not going to negotiate in good faith and put some balance which includes real spending cuts on the table then I guess he is trying to go over the cliff. I don't think Obama really cares what happens to the economy, as long as he is able to take property/wealth from one group and give it to another. That is the entire message of his presidency confiscate from those who have earned and give it to those that don't. It is an unsustainable policy. Obama owns the debt problem, as he has done NOTHING to curtail it and when it reaches $20 TRILLION in 2016, Obama will be laughing at everyone who has earned a nickel in this country.

That's true. You live in DC, LA, NY or any big city and $250 K is middle class. You live in the rural south and it may mean you are wealthy. The problem with Barry's approach is the folks in the cities who are making $250-400K are one of his main constituencies. Barry should bargain it down to $750K and then up the cuts to $900 Billion and both sides can agree and pat themselves on the back for being winners. The great thing about that is that it'll keep us from being Greece for at least another 5 years!

My Fellow Americans we are going over cliff, WTG Boner in again suceesfully screwing up negotiations that will cost you and your base way more than making a deal...Hope the Tea tards can save your speakership in '14 however Im not sure they are going to rally around someone that has effectivly raised taxes and gutted the military on fundamental grounds of no compromise...

Our electorate has to be the least informed - ever. Not only because we re-elected Obama, but everyone wants a compromise, but no one wants any cuts - anywhere - whatsoever. See todays WaPo poll. http://www.washingtonpost.com/...

Tax hikes are baked in for Jan 1. Tell me WHO baked that tasty cake? Thanks for nothing Boehner. Perhaps actually trying what has worked in the past would get you somewhere. Return to conservative roots, educate the people and stop crying and rolling over. Get in the fight or go home.

Our family is watching this next year and if we do not see real change in the attitude of our republican leadership back toward conservatism they will have lost us and we will begin baking a new conservative tea party. Yes, even if it means dems will own the government for a time. Right now I'm seeing no real measurable difference between the two.

Boehner and the rest of the repuks in the House clearly are crooks. The Senate has already passed a bill that will take care of this issue, not sure why the repuks in House are still playing games with the American people. Maybe they (repuks in the House) won't loose their jobs either way (playing games or not) which is SAD to me, they (repuks in Congress) have nothing to help the American people for the past 4+ years and have actually done everything they can to HARM the American people. American's need to VOTE all of the repuks in Congress OUT OF OFFICE ASAP.